Device for collecting, holding and dispensing flanged primers



Nov. 8, 1966 c. J. BOYD 3,283,425

DEVICE FOR COLLECTING, HOLDING AND DISPENSING FLANGED PRIMERS Filed Feb. 23, 1965 shurp edge on loading end."

spring defen? 24 yshorpened edge INVENTOR 22 Charles J. 80 d BY @M%,%

his offer United States Patent ()fi ice 3,283,425 Patented Nov. 8, 1966 3,283,425 DEVICE FOR COLLECTING, HOLDING AND DISPENSING FLANGED PRIMERS Charles J. Boyd, Rte. 2, Box 336, Santa Fe, N. Mex. 87501 Filed Feb. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 434,389 3 Claims. (CI. 86-45) This invention relates to a device for collecting, holding and dispensing flanged primers for the reloading of shotgun shells, and it pertains to the simplification and improvement of the technique of reloading such shells and handling new primers for use therein.

Many marksmen prefer to load and/or reload their own shotgun shells and this is becoming a hobby of considerable importance. The tubular fibrous or paper" portion of a used shell is "ironed to proper size and shape and waxed, the old primer is pushed out and replaced by a new one, the desired amount of powder, wadding and shot is added and the shell is crimped and is then ready for use. The most annoying and troublesome part of this procedure is the handling of the new primers: they are hard to pick up, their sharp flanges make sore fingers, they easily become scattered or lost and it is a tedious chore to properly position them. An object of this invention is to provide a method and means of reloading shotgun shells which is simpler and more eflicient than any heretofore used. A specific object is to eliminate difliculties heretofore encountered in the picking up, holding and dispensing of new flanged primers. Other objects will become apparent as the description of my invention proceeds.

Briefly described, my improved device for collecting. holding and dispensing flanged primers is characterized by having a base provided with a holder for a flanged channel strip. the latter being removably held by the holder, the channel strip having a strip flan e on each side positioned to permit primer flan es to be slidably held and to prevent primers from falling out or from becoming stuck because of wedging against each other, the lower end of the channel strip being provided with a movable detent for permitting primers to be dispensed one at a time, and the other end of the channel strip having sufficiently sharp edges so that the strip may be readily slid over the flanges of a row of primers in the box or carton in which thev are customarily packed and the entire row or any desired portion thereof may be picked up at one time Without touching them with operators fingers. The strips are preferably long enough to hold 25 primers, the number required for a box of shells. The holder onto which the loaded strip is placed may be an automatic or semiautomatic machine, or it may simply be a stand with rolled edges to embrace the sides of the strip. The detent may be a simple springactuated element and it may be held in place by a protuberance on the back of the channel strip which protnberance also cooperates with the holder for positioning the strip. To prevent the primers from binding or falling out of the channel strip. the distance between the strip flanges and the strip back is approximately 0.03 to 0.06 inch and distance between the free edges of the strip flanges is about 0.25 inch.

The steps of the shell-reloading process may be the same as those heretofore used except for the improved method and means of handling the flanged primers. However I have discovered that the ironing and waxing of the shells can be simplified and improved by mounting the sizing iron" or mandrel in a substantially vertical position with the connection to its heating element being at its base, securing around the lower part of the iron a cup-shaped receptacle for holding molten wax (the type of paraffin wax conventionally employed), and inserting the shell over the iron" or mandrel till the open end of the paper" or fibrous tubular portion dips into the molten wax. The capillary action will draw just the right amount of wax up into the fibrous tubular portion of the shell, the heat from the iron will keep the body of wax molten and will expedite the penetration of the wax, and when the shell is removed and cooled, it will be found to have precisely the desired size, shape and wax content.

The invention will be more readily understood from the following description of a preferred example thereof read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of my improved device showing the flanged channel strip mounted on the holder.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the holder.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross section through the channel strip showing how the primer flange is held in slidable position therein.

FIG. 4 is a detailed section taken at the lower end of the channel strip to show the detent and the protuberance for holding it.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of how the channel strip is loaded by being slid over a row of primer flanges in a package of primers.

FIG. 6 shows a row of primers suspended from a channel strip.

FIG. 7 is a top view of primers held in a channel strip.

In this example my device is shown mounted on a base or pedestal 10, although it may of course be mounted on a machine to automatically discharge primers where and when needed. The holder in this example is a bent and slotted metal plate having its horizontal base 11 secured to pedestal 10, its mid-section 12 extending vertically upwards therefrom, and its top section inclined in this example at an angle of about 60, the top section having rolled edges 13 and 13' for embracing and removably holding the channel strip and having a slot 14 for permitting movement of the detent spring and for also permitting adjustment of pressure to be exerted by rolled edges 13 and 13 against the sides of the flanged channel strip 15.

In this example the channel strip 15 is made of 24 gauge metal, preferably steel, the thickness of which is about 0.022 inch, but aluminum, rigid plastic or other equivalent material may be used. The length of the strip is about 9 inches and its width is about 0.625 inch so that when its edges 16 and 16' are rolled over to form flanges (see FIG. 3) the overall width of the flanged strip is about 0.425 inch, the distance between the free edges of the flanges 16 and I6 is about 0.250 inch (disance b in FIG. 3) and the distance between the flanges and the back of the strip 17 is in the range of about 0.03 to about 0.06 inch, eg about 0.05 inch, (distance a in FIG. 3). These dimensions, and particularly those of a and b, are important for insuring that the flanged primers 18 will slide freely without binding and without falling out. The primer flangers 19 should slide freely in the space between strip flanges 16 and 16' and strip back 17.

Primers are sold in boxes 20 containing spaced strips 21 and covers 22. When cover 22 is opened, the flange portions of the primers are exposed since they rest on strips 21 while the cylindrical portion of the primers 18 are held in line between strips 21. By making the strip channel flanges sufficiently thin or sharp at end 23, the channel strip can slide freely over and around a row of primer flanges (see FIG. 5) so that the whole row of primers may be picked up and slid along the channel strip. When the desired number of primers has thus been picked up, the strip is tipped so that the primers slide against detent 24 and the strip is then slid into the holder between rolled edges 13 and 13. The detent in this case is a bent wire spring 24 which may move up and down in a slot 25 and registering slot 14, the spring being anchored to a protuberance 26 on the under side of the channel strip, this protuberance also serving to limit the movement of strip 15 in the holder.

The operation of my device will be apparent from the foregoing description. The flanged primers are scooped up and held in a sliding row by the flanged channel strip 15, this strip is put back on its holder, and one primer at a time in its desired position is then dispensed by moving it past said detent. If the removal is by hand, there is no necessity of an operators finger coming into contact with the relatively sharp primer flanges. If the removal is by automatic mechanism, the primer is easily positioned, and if desired the strip may be curved, preferably using a radius of at least about inches, so that the primers can be dispensed in a horizontal position.

While a specific example of my invention has been described in considerable detail, it should be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, and that alternative structures will be apparent from the foregoing description to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A device for collecting, holding and dispensing flanged primers for shotgun shells, which device comprises,

(a) a base provided with a holder for a nel strip,

(b) a flanged channel strip removably held by said holder,

(c) the strip flanges on said channel strip being spaced from the back thereof by a distance greater than the thickness of the primer flanges, but not great enough to permit a primer to fall out of the flanged channel strip,

(d) the free edges of the strip flanges being spaced from each other a distance greater than the diameter of the primers, but not great enough to permit a primer to fall out of the channel strip,

(e) a movable detent adjacent the lower edge of the channel strip for holding the primers in the flanged channel strip and permitting one primer to be removed at a time, and

(f) thin flange edges at the upper end of the channel strip to permit said strip to slide freely over a row of primer flanges for picking primers out of a container thereof, said detent being a spring operating in a slot at the lower end of the channel strip, which slot is aligned with a slot in the holder, said spring flanged chanbeing held by a protuberance on the bottom of the channel strip which protuberance limits the movement of the strip on the holder, and the slot in the holder providing for the adjustment of pressure exerted by edges of the holder against edges of the channel strip.

2. 'The device of claim 1 wherein the distance of (c) is the range of about 0.03 inch to 0.06 inch and the distance of (d) is about 0.25 inch.

3. A device for collecting, holding and dispensing flanged primers for shotgun shells, which device comprises,

(a) a base provided with a top section having holder flanges for embracing a flanged channel strip,

(b) a flanged channel strip removably held on the top section by the pressure of said holder flanges on the channel strip,

(c) a protuberance on the flanged channel strip for limiting the movement of said strip within the holder flanges,

(d) the flanges on the channel strip being spaced from the back thereof a distance in the range of about 0.03 inch to 0.06 inch,

(e) the free edges of the channel strip flanges being spaced from each other a distance of about 0.25 inch,

(f) a movable detent adjacent the lower edge of the channel strip for holding the primers in the flanged channel strip and permitting one primer to be removed at a time, and

(g) a sharpened edge on the flanges at the upper end of the channel strip to permit said strip to slide freely over and around a row of primer flanges in the box in which they are packed so that the entire row or any desired portion thereof may be picked up at one time without being touched by an operators fingers and without any impingement of any of the primer flanges upon each other.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,358,044 11/1920 Williams 221287 1,385,086 7/1921 Maranville 22l307 X 2,402,018 6/ 1946 Burdett 8623 2,794,359 6/1957 Lyman et a1 8636 2,865,244 12/1958 Doyle 86-38 3,113,483 12/ 1963 Puth 86-23 BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner.

R. V. LO'ITMANN, P. A. SHANLEY,

Assistant Examiners. 

1. A DEVICE FOR COLLECTING, HOLDING AND DISPENSING FLANGED PRIMERS FOR SHOTGUN SHELLS, WHICH DEVICE COMPRISES, (A) A BASE PROVIDED WITH A HOLDER FOR A FLANGED CHANNEL STRIP, (B) A FLANGED CHANNEL STRIP REMOVABLY HELD BY SAID HOLDER, (C) THE STRIP FLANGES ON SAID CHANNEL STRIP BEING SPACED FROM THE BACK THEREOF BY A DISTANCE GREATER THAN THE THICKNESS OF THE PRIMER FLANGES, BUT NOT GREAT ENOUGH TO PERMIT A PRIMER TO FALL OUT OF THE FLANGED CHANNEL STRIP, (D) THE FREE EDGES OF THE STRIP FLANGES BEING SPACED FORM EACH OTHER A DISTANCE GREATER THAN THE DIAMETER OF THE PRIMERS, BUT NOT GREAT ENOUGH TO PERMIT A PRIMER TO FALL OUT OF THE CHANNEL STRIP, (E) A MOVABLE DETENT ADJACENT THE LOWER EDGE OF THE CHANNEL STRIP FOR HOLDING THE PRIMERS IN THE FLANGED 